hi regarding the MVP answer at this thread : http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprogeneral/thread/da5a69b6-212d-421e-93c0-f2c2547ffcc1 I have a question regarding those Unofficial Builds, on our forum we dont allow discuss of illegal & pirated stuf & software. so we want to know if those 'Unofficial Builds' illegal to use by general public or legal and just unsupport by you? thanks.

Mor - It's not so much that it's "illegal" or "immoral" or "pirated" - there are other reasons:1.) Microsoft did not officially release it. As such, those of us who are sticking by the game plan have build 7000. We couldn't easily tell you what the problem is because since this IS a Beta - the software is subject to RAPID changes and we'd be guessing rather than giving answers that made any sense. The game plan, of course, is totest build 7000 until the official Release Candidate is ready and is released - and of course, give feedback on the various aspects of the build along the way- good, bad or otherwise.2.) Most, if not all of those interim builds that were released were unauthorized. Someone decided to leak them. The thing is, they weren't meant for public consumption. They were meant to test specific fixes for specific people. They're "quick, down and dirty" builds that were put together maybe to test a few fixes here and there. They weren't meant to be used - as many people have been doing (contrary to Microsoft's advice) - as their primary OS. As such, they haven't been put through any serious pre-release testing to make sure that it's a solid build. While it might fix bugs A, B and C, it may also introduce other bugs - say, X, Y and Z. In fact, as some have already found out, it's more trouble than it's worth. 3.) Since it's NOT an official release, and these leaked builds have no doubt been downloaded from torrent, there's NO way to tell if it's in the same condition as it was when Microsoft put it together. Yes, someone could post a hash for it - and yes, the file you get might even match - but is it CLEAN? Just a few months ago, the Mac crowd got a bit of a rude awakening - those downloading pirated Mac software found the ISOs they grabbed were infested with a nasty surprise. The crack for the apps in question contained a "bonus" service that's now the host for the first official Mac based botnet. Do we really, really need that kind of hassle? I think not. 4.) The reason we, the general public, haven't been getting all these different builds is simple. It takes a lot of time, energy and money to put together a fully qualified build. It's got to be tested. It's got to be packaged, it's got to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Then it's got to be hosted on the server - and given the insane popularity of the Beta - it requires a LOT of bandwidth and servers to handle the demand. That stuff ain't cheap. Times are tough. Microsoft needs to tighten their belt just like everyone else. As far as you personally using these unauthorized builds - it's like the old carnival barkers used to say - "You pays your money, you takes your chances." It's not exactly illegal. The stormtroopers aren't going to break down your door and confiscate your computer and haul you away in irons. On the other hand, don't expect support for it either. At least, not from anything resembling an official source.And then there's the release candidate - which, if the rumors are true, will be out in a couple of weeks. Odds are it will have a higher build number than those we've seen "in the wild" so far and it will likely be more stable, and will be fully supported. Since you're likely to be needing to do a full reinstall anyhow, do you really want to do it now with one of these builds and thenhave to do it again with the RC? More hassle than it's worth...

Mor - It's not so much that it's "illegal" or "immoral" or "pirated" - there are other reasons: ... 2.) Most, if not all of those interim builds that were released were unauthorized . Someone decided to leak them. The thing is, they weren't meant for public consumption . ... i understand all the reasons and risks, but all i really want to know is are they legal to use by general public or not. thank u.

As I said in the previous rant..."As far as you personally using these unauthorized builds - it's like the old carnival barkers used to say - "You pays your money, you takes your chances." It's not exactly illegal. The stormtroopers aren't going to break down your door and confiscate your computer and haul you away in irons. On the other hand, don't expect support for it either. At least, not from anything resembling an official source."The bottom line is - you weren't the one who violated the NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). Someone else did that already. I'm sure if you dig deep enough through the EULA, you might find something or other that could be considered a violation of the legal stuff. BUT... Unless you drive around 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA with your car carrying a sign that you're using Windows 7 Build 7xxx (and 7xxx is not 7000), while honking your horn and thumbing your nose in Microsoft's face, no one is going to really care. And even then they may only get you for disturbing the peace.

It's not exactly illegal. meaning its legal?

Mor 2The legal aspect is more difficult to define than you think. If you look at it this way the 'leaked' build was given to, say a warz site, by someone who had access to that build. In theory that amounts to theft because the product wasn't destined for public viewing and the build belongs to Microsoft, not to the person who leaked it. It was not his/her property to do as he/she wished with; therefore it could, and probably would be, treated as a pirated copy and thus an illegal copy. My interpretation is that it is illegal.John Barnett MVP: Windows XP Associate Expert: Windows Desktop Experience: Web: http://www.winuser.co.uk; Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org; Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org;

Microsoft perspective on this subject was very clear they don't want people to install those builds for a whole lot of reasons, none of them concerning legal aspects If there's a thing that we absolutely do not recommend to end users, it's that they should download interim builds of Windows 7 from torrent trackers, revealed Tudor Galos, Windows Business Group Lead at Microsoft Romania, exclusively to Softpedia. Galos indicated that Microsofts official channels should be considered as the sole source of Windows 7 development milestones. Why? Because many leaked releases can be affected by hackers. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Don-039-t-Download-Windows-7-Interim-Builds-from-Torrent-Trackers-109611.shtml

hi regarding the MVP answer at this thread : http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprogeneral/thread/da5a69b6-212d-421e-93c0-f2c2547ffcc1I have a question regarding those Unofficial Builds, on our forum we dont allow discuss of illegal & pirated stuf & software.so we want to know if those 'Unofficial Builds' illegal to use by general public or legal and just unsupport by you? thanks. Hi mor 2Your question is ambiguousbecause there isn't anyone posting on these forums who can provide a definitive answer. The only thing anyone here can provide is a personalopinion, which by nature gives you nomore information than you already have.As I said in that post you referred to, These interim builds are distributed to Microsoft Partnersto test certain code for compatibility purposes with the partners products. The agreements between Microsoft and these partners are private between these two parties. The fact isthat mixing information for beta builds is never a good idea, since each build contains different code. This is the reason that these forums do not support any unofficial build.If you have a real concern about whether it is legal or not legal, you can use the following information to contact Microsoft and ask for yourself.Protect Yourself from Piracy: http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/or E-mail: piracy@microsoft.com Hope this helps. Ronnie Vernon MVPForum Moderator